United States Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5305) i EPA530-N-94-005 Fall 1994 NEW Environment and the Economy— A Winning As part of the Jobs Through Recycling Initia- tive—EPA's new program to expand markets for recycled materials, stimulate economic development, and create jobs in the recycling in- dustry—California, Minnesota, New York, and North Carolina are establishing Recycling and Reuse Business Assistance Centers (RBACs). Each center will provide a unique mix of technical, business, financing, and marketing assistance to ^••^^^^•I^^MB local enterprises using recy- cled materials. In addition to supporting RBACs, the Initiative estab- lishes Recycling Economic Development Advocates (REDAs) in eight states, the «^^^^^—^— District of Columbia, and one Native American tribe (see sidebar on page 7). These advocates will work to strengthen recycling market development within their respective jurisdictions. Some of the interesting initiatives under way in each RBAC are highlighted in this issue of Reus- able News. Turn to page 6 for more information. Recycling Is Good for the Environment and the Economy! IN THIS ISSUE RBACs and REDAs Ready to Roll • Keep America Beautiful: Buy Recycled • Tap Into ReTap • Reusable News Goes On Line » Compost Publications Available • Foam Recycling Soars Shop You Drop Keep America Beautiful Communities Buy Recycled From the Great Plains to the Florida Keys, communi- ties across America are being challenged to "buy recycled"—thanks to the help of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a nonprofit or- ganization dedicated to improv- ing waste management practices in communities across the coun- try. KAB is empowering its local affiliate organizations—a net- work of more than 500 commu- nity groups across the nation—to spread the buy-recycled message. With EPA assistance, 15 KAB affiliates are encouraging businesses, government agen- cies, and individuals in their communities to purchase and use products made'from recycled materials. Because of these communities' efforts, markets for local recycla- ble materials can grow and prosper. Below are four examples of proactive and creative buy-recycled cam- paigns conceived by local KAB affiliates. Buying Recycled Provides Food for Thought ; The great thing about buying recycled is that everyone can do it—it can be as easy as a trip to the grocery store! During Earth. Week in 1994, the Alliance Clean Commu- nity System (ACCS), in. Alliance, Nebraska, devised a campaign to teach consumers how to be "green" shop- pers. Over 5,000 people learned about buying recycled in one week during ACCS's "Every Day is Earth Day" campaign. (Continued on page 2) Rocycled/Rocyclablo -Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Recycled Paper (50% Postconsumer) >Please recycle as newsprint ------- Shop Til You Drop Keep America Beautiful Communities Buy Recycled (Continued from page 1) As part of the campaign, ACCS developed tags to be placed on gro- cery shelves that informed customers which brands of napkins, paper towels, and greeting cards were made with recycled content, and which brands of cake mixes, canned fruits, laundry products, egg cartons, and breakfast cereals came in packaging made from recycled materials. ACCS also developed posters and flyers promoting the campaign, and ran TV and radio "buy-recycled" public service announcements. Par- ticipating supermarkets displayed the posters and stuffed the flyers in shopping bags during the week. Some stores even developed their own store displays to help educate shoppers. "Customers who shopped at par- ticipating stores during the campaign were surprised at how many products contained recycled materials or used recycled packaging," said Norma Kuhlman, director of ACCS. "Many of them made a verbal commit- ment to buy recycled now that they know how many recycled products are out there. It's not as hard as they thought." Florida Businesses Ride the Buy- Recycled Tide Norman, Danny, and Connie Williams oflslamorada Dry Clean- When you envision ere show off their "Recycling Business of the Week" award for Key Largo, Florida, you • buying recycled garment bags, tissue paper, and hangers. As part of a buy-recycled campaign, grocery ana ret ail stores in Alliance, Nebraska, tagged products containing recycled materials. probably think of palm trees swaying in the breeze, Hum- phrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and key lime pie. Residents and busi- nesses of the town of Tavernier, however, concentrate more on recy- cling. To encourage and recognize Tav- ernier businesses that are recycling and buying recycled products, Clean Florida Keys, Inc., created "The Re- cycling Business of the Week" program. Clean Florida Keys selects one outstanding business each week from a pool of contestants nomi- nated by individuals in the community. The winning business is featured in the local newspaper, and on a local radio and television station. The company also receives a commemorative plaque. "We've initiated a lot of busi- nesses into the recycling arena," said Executive Director Bill Dalton. "Many of these businesses never re- cycled or bought recycled products until they saw what other busi- nesses were doing, and then they got inspired." Since the program's inception in January 1994, winners .have included: • A mortgage corporation that buys recycled notepads, reuses and then recycles used office paper, and donates used office materials to a local daycare center for arts and crafts. A law office that purchases recy- cled file folders, copy paper, and computer paper, when available. A lumber company that manufac- tures plastic lumber from recov- ered plastic. A carpet store that sells rugs made from recycled polyethylene tere- phthalate (PET) soda bottles. Recycled Frisbees Make the Grade Students at the Texas A & M Uni- versity learned a new equation during a 1994 Earth Day festival: 3 milk jugs = 1 frisbee. "Cool!" was the students' first reaction to the frisbees created entirely from recy- cled milk jugs and distributed by KAB affiliate, Brazos Beautiful, at the festival. Brazos Beautiful, lo- cated in Bryan/College Station, Texasr brought its traveling display of recyclables and recycled prod- ucts to show students the benefits of buying recycled. While the booth features recy- clables collected locally and products that can be manufactured from them, none of the products regularly displayed at the booth was ------- manufactured in Brazos County. Brazos Beautiful decided to manu- facture frisbees from milk jugs collected locally. "We liked the idea that the frisbees were not brought in from far away," said Diane Graig, di- rector of Brazos Beautiful. "They came from our refrigerators." The frisbees were used to attract students to the booth and were flung out as souvenirs. Craig felt that the frisbees and the booth "definitely made students more aware of buying recycled," and as a result she feels the buy-recycled message will stick with them. Students not only learned about buying recycled from attending the booth, but many got a first-hand glimpse at how recovered materials can be used to manufacture con- sumer products. In preparation for the event, students collected milk jugs from local recycling programs, One of 3,000 frisbees made from recycled milk jugs for Texas A&M University's 1994 Earth Day festival. to show that the buy- recycled concept is re- ally taking off. Buying Recycled Is Kidstuff, Too Recycling is not only essential to our exist- ence on earth, it is helpful to our world. These are the words of an 8th grader's public service announcement, written as part of a buy- recycled campaign. Keep the Mahoning Valley Beautiful, a KAB affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio, has campaigned in area schools to help children un- derstand recycling and why buying recycled products is so important. As part of the campaign, Keep the Mahoning Valley Beautiful sponsored a student essay con- test. Winning essays were turned into public service an- nouncements. Two hundred and ninety students in grades 7 through 12 partici- pated in the contest, and responded to the following ques- tion: If I were America's repre- sentative to an Earth Summit on recy- cling, what issues would I address? Students do some dwnpster diving while waste-auditing a local business. Youngstown. "This program has re- ally had an impact on the local waste stream," she added. "Some busi- nesses we audited are now big on buy-recycled." 1 , and then cleaned, ground, and pre- pared the plastic for manufacturing. The resin was sent to a contractor, where engineering students helped in the manufacturing process. The frisbees contain 96 percent recycled content, all of which is postcon- sumer. In all, students helped manufac- ture some 3,000 frisbees, which used about 9,000 milk jugs that had been collected by the community. More than half of these were given away at the festival, which just goes The three winning essays, which came from grades 7, 8, and 9, were read on a local television program called "Talk-Back." Each winner received a $100 U.S. Govern- ment Savings Bond. The campaign also included a waste audit program where 7th grade student audit teams surveyed 14 local businesses to evaluate their recycling and procurement prac- tices and recommend additional measures". "People listen to kids," said Marie Viglio, a teacher at St. Christine's Grade School in Spread the Word on Buying Recycled! AB, with assistance from EPA, has developed a training package to assist cornmunitfes that want to pro- mote the buy-recycled ethic. The package includes a video featuring EPA Administrator Carol Browner. She answers questions about the importance jbf "closing the loop" and the Heed to educate the public, as iWell as about the role of busi- jness, industry, and the government in stimulating mar- kets for materials recovered ifrorn municipal solid waste. The [package also includes a "how- ito" program manual that has information about the 1 5 KAB uy-recycled pilot projects and :amera-ready brochures. It is vailable at a cost of $40. To 'order the package, call KAB at 203 323-8987.1 ------- Tapping Into ReTAP It's not as easy as you may think for manufacturers to become "green." While many manufacturers want to be more environmentally con- scious in their operations, they often do not have the technical know-how to change their practices or materi- als. To help manufacturers across the country get the information they need, EPA is supporting the Recycling Technology Assistance Partnership (ReTAP) National Network. ReTAP is a joint effort of the Clean Washington Center (CWC), the Na- tional Recycling Coalition (NRC), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—a division of the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce —and EPA. NIST's support of ReTAP is part of President Clinton's technology reinvestment pro- ject, which assists defense industry businesses in adopt- ing new technologies to become more competitive. ReTAP has two distinct goals: • To provide technical assistance to companies in the State of Wash- ington interested in producing or using recycled feedstocks • Tb disseminate recycling technol- ogy information across the country through a national network. Tb accomplish its first goal, Re- TAP engineers visit companies to evaluate their recycling technology needs, identify barriers to recycling, and find solutions. ReTAP's services are customized to meet the needs of each individual company. For exam- ple, assistance might entail teaching a firm how to substitute recovered materials for virgin materials or helping a company locate markets for materials being sent to a landfill. An example of the type of ReTAP success stories achieved to date is introducing recycled resins from milk bottles into an injection- molded product. As a result, the product's performance was en- hanced, and the company realized a significant cost savings. To create a national technology information network for manufac- turers, ReTAP will start by forging an electronic link among NIST's manufacturing extension centers. NIST will establish 100 such centers in communities across the country by 1997 to help small manufacturers become more competitive. ReTAP will also join with EPA's fobs Through Recycling Initiative to de- velop targeted resources, such as a technology tool kit and a series of 10 "best practice" manuals. These resources will help both the companies using recovered materi- als and individuals providing tech- nology services to these firms. . , , .. ._The tool kit was designed specifi- cally for engineers and specialists who interact with companies. It will include such items as case studies and models for program structuring, protocols to assess the use of recy- cled feedstock, and software programs to track and evaluate pro- gress. The manuals will help companies learn how to effectively use existing technologies for recy- clable commodities, such as glass and scrap tires. Another key compo- nent of the network will be an easily accessible database on recycled use practices, new technological develop- ments, and innovative applications for recovered materials. If you are interested in tapping into ReTAP's onsite services (in Washington state only), call Viki Sonntag of the Clean Washington Center at 206 464-6009. If you are interested in information available through the National Network and other available services, call Gordon Davidson of the National Recycling Coalition at 202 625-6406. f WASTE Newsletter WI$E Now Available The first issue of a newsletter dedicated to the WasteWi$e program is available free of charge to any in- terested party. WasteWi$e helps businesses take cost-effective actions to prevent waste, collect materials for recycl- ing, and buy recycled. To receive the WasteWi$e Update, call the WasteWi$e Hotline at 800 EPA- WISE.I Thanks to you, all sorts of everyday products are being made from the paper, plastic, metal and glass that you've been recycling. But to keep recycling working to help protect the environment, you ...need to;biiy those products.""-'-™' "-""- BUY RECYCLED. AND SAY!=: So look for products made from recycled materials, and buy them. It would mean the world to all of us. To receive a free brochure, write Buy Recycled, Environmental Defense Fund, 2S7 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010, or call 1-800-CALL-EDF. ------- Recycling Is Becoming Part of the Package Imagine how many foam peanuts you would need to fill the Empire State Building. Would you believe that it would take about 23 million pounds? That's the amount of pea- nuts and other expanded poly- styrene (EPS) foam packaging that the Association of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR) and consumers collected for recycling in 1993. In just three years, the recycling rate of EPS foam packaging has grown from almost nothing in 1991 to nearly 11 percent in 1994, according to a study con- ducted for AFPR. As a result, EPS foam—which you might also think of as the large white molded shapes used to cushion appliances and «• . ^yrXrirwirf Mnfif v'inn.- r equipment—is now the third most commonly recycled used plastic after soda bottles and milk jugs. All of the foam collected is considered "postconsumer," as it has served its in- tended purpose. Most (approxi- mately 90 percent) of the EPS foam col- lected for recycling comes from indus- try. EPS foam is used to transport parts to equipment manufacturers and finished products to retailers. In the past, the foam was discarded af- ter shipments were received. Now, after the foam has transported mate- rials safely, companies can send delivery trucks full of the foam back to foam manufacturers for recycling, which can save companies the cost of disposal. Foam manufacturers grind up the used foam and either make new foam out of it or market the ground-up materials to other companies for use in making plastic products such as videocassettes or desk organizers. The remaining 10 percent of the ^ EPS foam collected for recycling comes from consumers who buy products that are pack- aged in foam, such as stereos. AFPR has established over 200 consumer collection sites in 39 states at AFPR member plant locations, recycling companies, Army depots, grocery stores, and other sites. Most consumers first learn about EPS foam recy- cling from inserts developed by AFPR, which many manufacturers are now enclosing in their packaging. The insert pro- vides a toll-free number that consumers can call to find out where EPS foam is collected for re- cycling in their area. According to AFPR, the toll-free number receives hun- dreds of calls per month. Prior to the winter holiday season, a time that usually produces large quantities of EPS foam packaging waste, AFPR runs special cam- paigns to encourage EPS foam recy- cling. During this time, AFPR often receives thousands of calls per month—50 percent are from con- sumers who have read the packaging insert. For information on EPS foam recy- cling or to locate the nearest EPS foam recycling collection center, call the Association of Foam Packaging Recyclers at 800 944-8448. H Two Guides Provide the Dirt on Composting Organic wastes (includingpa- per, food scraps, and yard trimmings) make up a siz- able portion of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream in many com- munities. By adding composting to the mix of waste management op- tions, communities can divert as much as 60 percent of MSW from landfilling or combustion! The following resources can help you determine whether residential or municipal composting is an option for your community. Keep It Off the Curb is a step-by- step manual for community and state government officials who want to establish a backyard com- posting program for residents. Specifically, it is designed for those communities that want to distrib- ute bins so that residents can compost in their own backyards. The book presents information on composting basics, potential cost savings from waste diversion, and bin selection and distribution op- tions, as well as information on hciw to elicit support, conduct workshops, and set up demonstra- tion sites. It provides case studies of successful bin distribution pro- grams and ready-to-use tools for the community, such as camera- ready brochures and surveys. To order a copy of the manual, call Harmonious Technologies at 805 646-8030. Composting Yard Trimmings and Municipal Solid Waste is an EPA. guidance manual for state and local planners who are interested in organizing municipal compost- ing operations. It provides guidance on Setting up all kinds of composting operations—from basic windrow processes to high-tech, in-vessel systems. The guidebook also pro- vides assistance on anticipating and. (Continued on page 8) ------- Environment and the Economy—A Winning Combination (Continued from page 1) Creating Markets for Hard-To-Recycle Materials in Minnesota Minnesota is developing markets for several materials generated in large quantities that are currently difficult to recycle within the state. By focusing on wood waste, certain plastics, and low-grade paper, Minnesota will help the state move beyond its current 40 percent recycling rate. One potential use for these materials is in com- posite products. (Composites are made by combining two or more different materials in a way that enhances their combined properties.) Building on prior research conducted by the Office of Envi- ronmental Assistance (OEA), Minnesota's RBAC has developed an impressive list of potential new com- posites that might prove economical to produce. For example, Minnesota will fund a study to explore. ways to increase demand for bagged wood chips and mulches derived from blends of wood waste and demolition waste. Another project will support re- search on ways to add structural reinforcement materials into composites of wood and plastic wastes to expand their usage. For example, such reinforcement will make these materials stronger so that they can be used for structural purposes. Minnesota industries have already shown a will- ingness to integrate recovered materials such as old newspapers, old corrugated containers, and steel cans into existing manufacturing processes. By fo- cusing on the more difficult to recycle wastes, Minnesota will not only improve waste manage- ment, expand recycling, and conserve virgin resources, but it also will create new businesses and new jobs in recycling. "By targeting and working closely with specific industries and expanding co- operative activities with economic development officials, we will have a significant impact on the state's recycled materials markets," said Ted Troolin, supervisor of OEA's Market Development Unit. North Carolina's RBAC Launches Demonstration Projects During the summer of 1994, North Carolina's Department of Environment, Health, and Natu- ral Resources (DEHNR) surveyed nearly 500 recycling companies within the state. The survey in- cluded manufacturers, scrap dealers, processors, col- lectors, brokers, equipment dealers, and pallet reclaimers. It assessed their size, growth potential, and financing and technical assistance needs. North Caro- lina will use these data, along with the findings of its soon-to-be released report entitled Assessment of the Recycling Industry and Recycling Materials in North Carolina to establish four demonstration projects showcasing different recycling market development strategies: • Capacity Expansion Demonstration Project— The RBAC will help a chosen company increase the amount of recycled feedstock it presently uses. Assistance will include securing capital, installing new equipment, and locating potential supplies of recovered materials. The experience of this select company will serve as a model for other fledgling recycling businesses and help ex- pand use of recovered feedstocks within the state. States with RBACs O REDAs Feedstock Conversion Demonstration Project— Switching from virgin to recovered material feed- stocks is not always easy for manufacturers. For example, such a conversion can entail equipment purchases, changes in processes and product for- mulations, and employee training. North Carolina will help a select company completely convert from virgin to recycled feedstock. A team of RBAC specialists will work closely with plant managers to identify appropriate equipment, secure capital, and seek out consistent, stable feedstock sources. Industrial Recruitment Demonstration Project— North Carolina will coordinate state efforts to attract companies that use targeted recovered feedstocks to the state by offering expert business development advice and technical assistance. I Regional Commodities Demonstration Project— Many new recycling businesses find it difficult to locate economical sources of high-quality recovered feedstocks. This project will help a chosen company identify local suppliers of recovered materials. Us- ing local, rather than out-of-state, suppliers reduces transportation costs, making it more attractive for manufacturers to use recovered materials. ------- North Carolina is poised to bring these combined economic and market development plans to fruition. "We believe our efforts will open up new markets, strengthen existing ones, and eventually create jobs in the recycling industry," predicted Mary Beth Powell, manager of DEHNR's Solid Waste Reduction Program. Postconsumer Payoff in New York Working in cooperation with the South Bronx 2000 Local Development Corporation, the New York RBAC will support community- based recycling enterprises that use materials recov- ered from commercial, industrial, and institutional generators. Bronx 2000 has already started several innovative recycling projects, including the Big City Forest facility that is remanufacturing thousands of wood pallets and shipping containers. This pilot project created 37 jobs and processed 37,000 dis- carded pallets and 413,000 pounds of wood.packag- ing materials. RBAC funding will help establish additional wood reclamation programs based on this prototype. New York's RBAC, housed in the State Department of Economic Development (DED), also plans to im- prove the collection infrastructure for office paper Economic Development Specialists Focus on Recycling EPA's Jobs Through Recycling Initiative is also supporting ten professional staff positions for Recy- cling Economic Development Advocates (REDAs). These economic development specialists are help- ing create new recycling jobs, advising new and existing recycling businesses, and coordinating solid waste and economic development efforts within their respective jurisdictions. Each of the fol- lowing is hosting a REDA: • Arizona—Department of Commerce • Delaware—Development Office • District of Columbia—Office of Economic Development • Iowa—Department of Economic and Employment Development • Maryland—Department of Economic Development • Nebraska—Department of Economic Development- • Ohio—Department of Development • Oklahoma—Department of Commerce • Oregon—Economic Development Department • Siletz Tribe (Oregon)—Economic Development Office and paperboard packaging. It will establish partner- ships between local collection programs and paper companies. These partnerships will demonstrate cost-effective methods for collecting, processing, transporting, and delivering high-quality waste- paper to mills. New iYork will also work with 12 plastics processors, reclaimers, and manufacturers to help them resolve barriers to expanding their use of postconsumer recovered plastics. "EPAs RBAC funding will help us accelerate our efforts to optimize market conditions for recycling in New York and raise the efficiency with which secondary materials are recovered and used as manufacturing feed- stocks," said William Ferretti, director of DED's Office of Recycling Market Development. California Nurtures Fledgling Recycling Businesses •alifornia's RBAC, dubbed the "R-Team," is es- tablishing an information network to provide *recycling companies with the many types of information they neeld to be successful, from gen- eral business advice jto technical assistance. The network will help recycling entrepreneurs access the technical reports and materials testing informa- tion they need. It alsojwill link these entrepreneurs with experts at federal laboratories and manufac- turing technology centers. Housed at the California Integrated Waste Manage- ment Board', the RBAC will set up a telephone and facsimile hotline thatj offers two levels of support. First, the hotline willj provide all recycling compa- nies that call in with general business advice. It will also disseminate publications, answer questions, and make referrals. Second, the hotline will provide more individualized services to selected recycling businesses. These services will include: • Identifying low-cos:: technical assistance. • Coordinating financing. • Helping with business planning and marketing activities. i • • Identifying sources bf recovered materials. • Providing siting and permitting assistance. In addition to establishing this resource network, California is also identifying existing businesses that can convert from the ikse of virgin to recovered ma- terials, as well as thosje that are likely to benefit by diversifying their current product mix or expanding their manufacturing capacity. "By providing direct services to recycling businesses, we are working to help them profit through recycled content manufac- turing," said R-Team director Ranny Eckstrom. For more informatioii on EPAs Jobs Through Recy- cling Initiative, see the Spring issue of Reusable News, fl ------- Reusable News Goes Online As part of a new EPA pilot pro- ject, Internet users are now able to find everyone's favor- ite solid waste periodical, Reusable Mews, on line. The EPA Internet Pilot Project grew out of a desire to make solid waste publications available to the growing ranks of computer users seeking information on line. So, along with documents on landfill regulations and RCRA hazardous \vaste materials, individuals can now pick up the latest issue of this publication electronically. Since the project began in July, organizers are reporting a lot of inter- est in the various EPA publications. Unfortunately, all good pilot projects must come to an end—this one in January. But EPA will be conducting a thorough analysis of the process, and, if all went well, users will soon find Reusable News regularly on the Internet. Reusable News can be accessed on line using one of several Internet pathways: • Through Gopher: Go to the gopher.epa.gov server. firom the main menu, begin with "EPA Offices and Regions." Reusable News is under the "Office of Solid Waste" directory. Through FTP: Go to the ftp.epa.gov server. Login as "anonymous" using your Internet address as the password. Reusable News files are located in /pub. All OSW files are in directories beginning with "OSW." Through Telnet: Go to the gopher.epa.gov'server and choose the EPA Public Access Gopher. From the main (Gopher) menu, begin with "EPA Offices and Regions." Reusable News is under the "Office of Solid Waste" directory. • Through Mosaic: Go to the http://www.epa.gov server and choose the EPA Public Access Gopher. From the main (Gopher) menu, begin with "EPA Offices and Regions." Reusable News is under the "Office of Solid Waste" directory. • Through dial-up access: Dial 919 558-0335. Once connected, choose the EPA Public Access Gopher. From the main (Gopher) menu, begin with "EPA Offices and Regions." Reusable News is under the "Office of Solid Waste" directory, fi Two Guides Provide the Dirt on Composting (Continued from page 5) overcoming some of the common challenges involved in establishing a composting program, including designing the facility, managing odors, involving the public in the siting process, and identifying end users of the compost product. It also explains the biology of the composting process, collection and processing methods, and marketing techniques. A compre- hensive listing of many types of composting equipment (along with product costs and advantages and disadvantages) also is included. This manual can be ordered for $27 (plus a $4 handling charge) by calling the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) at 800 553-6847 and request- ing publication number EPA530-R-94-003.il The mention of publications, products, or organizations in this newsletter does not constitute endorsement or approval for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (5305) Washington, DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use S300 ------- |